Arkansas QB Battle Between Jackson, Hill Doesn't Need Public Answer Yet

Silverfield wants to see how Razorbacks quarterbacks handle pressure before making his most important decision

Arkansas Razorbacks coach Ryan Silverfield during spring practice drills in Fayetteville, Ark. | Munir El-Khatib

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — One day after practice last week, it became apparent that Arkansas has nothing to gain from naming a starting quarterback, at least publicly right now.

Whether the battle is truly "neck-and-neck" as coach Ryan Silverfield is letting on or if a quarterback has moved ahead of another, Arkansas' coaching staff has a chance to push a narrative however it wants on the field.

The message that the work is actually far from over.

Nick Saban once said, "Success is not continuous. Just because you're having success doesn't mean you're going to continue to have success."

Arkansas Razorbacks quarterback KJ Jackson. | Ted McClenning-allHOGS Images

KJ Jackson's work during the open parts of practice hasn't been perfect lately, missing on five of eight-or-nine passes and was spotty in another. But when it came to the scrimmage on Sunday, Jackson was back to his normal self, leading three 75-yard touchdown drives.

That included touchdown passes to a pair of wide receivers in Chris Marshall, Monte Harrison and another one to tight end Ty Lockwood.

For Hill, he also led a pair of touchdown drives that resulted in a pair of rushing touchdowns by Braylen Russell. He also completed on multiple big passing plays, which led to those scores on the ground.

"The two guys are competing, AJ and KJ. Some good things. A decision has not been made," Silverfield said on Sunday. "I’m excited to see, okay, hey, now we go to these morning practices. Continue to put them in more situations.

"I always say this, 'It’s easy in a seven-on-seven, right, with no clock to sit there and say, okay, wow, man, all these guys are really capable. What’s that look like in the situation?' It’s my job to put them in more two-minute situations, more run checks. This next week is going to be really heavy on that."

And there may not be much incentive for Silverfield to provide that clarity anytime soon.

Arkansas Razorbacks quarterback AJ Hill. | Ted McClenning-allHOGS Images

Even with the Razorbacks opening the 2026 season less than three weeks away, it wouldn't be a surprise if he already has a good idea for which direction he's going when it comes to the North Alabama game anyway.

Now, if there's no solution by the time a road trip to Utah, there is going to be doubt that creeps in the minds of Razorback fans, but that shouldn't worry anyone. Silverfield knows what good quarterback play looks like and has a strong history of it.

From being around quarterbacks in an offensively-driven system at Hampden-Sydney in the early 2000s, working around the likes of Brett Favre and Tavaris Jackson with the Vikings or Brady White and Seth Henigan at Memphis, he's given plenty of reasons to trust his judgement.

Whether Silverfield genuinely needs every remaining segment of practice to make the decision or already has an idea of which direction he's headed with the most critical position on the team, keeping that information inside the building gives Arkansas another variable opponents have to account for because Jackson or Hill aren't exactly alike.

They each have different skillsets, with Jackson being more of a dual-threat who can get in a rhythm throughout a game. Hill can blow the top off a defense with a beautiful deep ball, but sometimes struggles with making quick decisions.

Each of his options has shown up in various drills, but now he wants to know how each of them react while pitted in pressure packed situations.

Whoever gets the starting nod will have the offense fit around their best attributes instead of being placed into a scheme they don't actually fit in. Silverfield has said that endlessly since taking the job.

What each quarterback has behind them is junior running back Braylen Russell, who has transformed himself into a quicker version of his old bulldozer look at 6-foot-1, 227 pounds. Having a semblance of a rushing attack during an actual game can go a long way to establishing a rhythm for Jackson or Hill when running the offense.

Maybe Silverfield truly doesn't know who will take the first snap against North Alabama at this point. Perhaps another week of two-minute drills, run checks and an emphasis on situational football will do the trick and give him clarity for the answer he's been looking for.

After all, he might be trying to avoid naming a starting quarterback at this point to avoid complacency. Because "success is momentary, not continuous."

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